Artunderwraps/ True1st.com

Annotated Reference Guide to Collectible Books

Eluard, Paul

Paul Eluard was at the forefront of surrealism in the 1920s. His poetry aimed to promote the truth to readers and to change the whole way that language was used; more ambitiously his hope was that he could affect the way people lived their lives. He saw love as the major driver for revolution in society and invariably used the women in his poetry as the agent for good.

In total, Eluard published around seventy books, which included not just poetry but also more literary efforts and political tracts. Despite his initial commitment to the Surrealist Manifesto in 1924, his work shifted focus and he was to eventually reject the movement altogether focussing instead on his political messages. His surrealist work had tended to focus on ephemeral subjects, but later in his career he became more concerned with the practicalities of life.

During the Nazi occupation of France he fought with the Communist Resistance and he wrote his famous poem, Liberte, which was an ode to freedom. Eluardís desire to see his work used as an agent for change was dramatically realized as the poem was embraced by the nation. British forces dropped thousands of copies over the occupied country to boost morale.

Eluard collaborated with other famous writers and artists throughout his career, perhaps most notably on a number of illustrated works with Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro. Given that these works bring together such famous names, they are attractive at auction, with a posthumous edition of A toute epreuvefetching more the $40,000. Other works such as Solidaritehave realized over $25,000.

Given Eluardís prominent role in the surrealist movement it is not surprising that he interests collectors. But while his collaborations (with possibly more familiar names) attract significant bids, his less famous, stand alone works are certainly more accessible to those wanting to own work from the golden age of surrealism.